Long road ahead for Loveland's parks (slideshow)

Volunteers have helped clean parks and open spaces damaged by the flood

By Jessica Maher Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
10/19/2013 05:31:40 PM MDT

LOVELAND -- Early in the morning on Sept. 12, as rain pounded the Front Range and forecasts were ominous, city of Loveland Parks and Recreation staff members made their way to the city's treasured parks near the Big Thompson River.

Anything that looked like it could float away was moved higher -- 81 picnic tables at Fairgrounds Park, recycling bins, trash cans -- but by 6:45 a.m. that day, the river had spilled over onto the concrete at Fairgrounds Park.

Still, when the worst of it was over on Monday, Sept. 16, river rapids were running through Fairgrounds Park, the city's recreation trail had been ripped up, and Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park west of the Dam Store on U.S. 34 was, simply, gone.

City of Loveland Parks and Recreation employees Nick Mishler, left, and Andrew Fierros, in the skid steer, install a fence Thursday around the flood-damaged grandstand at Fairgrounds Park.
(
Jenny Sparks
)

More than a month after the flood, the city's Parks and Recreation Department is still in the cleanup phase, about halfway through the 60-day window the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up for debris removal.

"We're moving along that road really nicely," city parks director Gary Havener said. "We have to clean it up so we can assess what kind of damage is actually there."

In this phase, Havener said community members have been vital. Since late September, the city has hosted a series of Saturday cleanup events, calling on volunteers to lend a hand at parks and open spaces.

Because hands, at this stage, are exactly what the parks need most. Fences around the fields at Barnes Softball Complex, for example, were caked with dirt and debris as high as 4 feet in some places. The most effective way to clean them, and to fully assess damage to the fence, is hands grabbing pieces and pulling them off. It's a tedious job that would otherwise take department resources or be contracted out.

Julio Mireles with Walsh construction creates a cloud of dust Thursday as he uses a skid steer to sweep silt from sidewalks at Fairgrounds Park.
(
Jenny Sparks
)

The decision to call on the public was a no-brainer, Loveland recreation manager Keven Aggers said, and community members reached out even before the city had the chance.

"We had a lot of interest from the public because they value our parks system so highly in Loveland," Aggers said. "People started calling almost immediately after the flood to see what they could do. We've been overwhelmed by the support."

City open lands manager Rob Burdine also has leaned on the community to help with cleanup of the city's natural areas. On Oct. 19, 74 volunteers showed up to help clean Morey Wildlife Reserve. They filled six roll-off trash containers with debris.

"It's been a humbling experience to see how people came out and the effort they put in to the projects," Burdine said. "It would have taken us weeks."

Though still in the assessment period and with damage to city parks likely to top $10 million, the priority for cleanup is based on the level of damage, which will also probably be the process for rebuilding.

"We're trying to get as many of the sites open as we can," Havener said. "We're still focused on cleanup, not restoration. That will come in the next weeks to months."

Fairgrounds Park

The goal is for Fairgrounds Park to open next spring to early summer, ideally in time for the farmers market that's located there, Willadsen said.

A sign on one of the bridges that links Fairgounds Park and Barnes Softball Complex warns folks of the flood damage.
(
Jenny Sparks
)

But when it opens, it will be in sections.

The area from the dog park at the south end of the park and much of the area south of the playground and picnic area sustained significant damage.

The theory, Willadsen said, is that the railroad broke at some point during the flood, sending a surge of water over the east end of the park. That would account for the chunks of Railroad Avenue lying in the park, the once-grassy area now covered in rocks and with 5-foot holes caved out by floodwaters.

The grandstand, a leftover from the days when the Larimer County Fair was held on the site, is included in the area that will be fenced off, and its future is uncertain. Floodwaters tore at the structure and succeeded in ripping away at the foundation, leaving a cavity underneath and little support.

This week, parks crews worked to install a fence around the grandstand because of reports of kids playing around the dangerously unsafe structure.

"You know it's bad when you have to build a road to put a fence in," Willadsen said of the makeshift track that crews built to bring equipment in.

The playground equipment at the park is intact, and the splash park needs a few parts but otherwise should function fine next year, Willadsen said. The Pour-in-Place safety lining at the playground was ripped up by the water, so staff members will determine how to best replace it.

"The Pour-in-Place will just peel up again when we get another flood," Willadsen said. "Because it's not if, it's when."

Barnes Softball Complex

Most of the Barnes fields have reopened, which is a remarkable feat considering that the first step was to get rid of the inches of mud and silt that covered the parking lot off South Cleveland Avenue. Similar to planning for parks rebuilding as a whole, Willadsen said priority was put on the least-damaged fields. The ones that still had infields, for example.

City leagues have been using the open fields and parks crews have been evaluating the sod in others. That involves brushing off the flood silt to reach the grass, a job both staff and volunteers have done in the past weeks.

There have been several cleanup events at Centennial Park since last month, and Aggers said volunteers made huge progress in cleaning the fence lines.

Namaqua Park

The grassy area and shelter at this park next to Loveland Ready Mix on North County Road 19E are open, but the playground remains closed.

After sediment and debris washed into the playground area, it needs to be shoveled out before the playground can open, Havener said. It may be an upcoming volunteer project, he said.

Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park

The park in the Big Thompson Canyon was the hardest hit by the flood.

Rock and rubble have taken over the natural area and roadway. Everything that had been in the picnic area near the river, including shelter structures, is gone, Havener said.

"That's the longest-term project that we have," he said. "I'm quite certain it won't be open for summer 2014."

Though damaged city parks are located in the flood plain, FEMA will allow for them to be rebuilt, but they may not look the same afterward. Havener said they may not be able to replace some of the structures because of their location in the flood plain.

"We might not be able to give the exact same look of the park," he said.

River's Edge Natural Area

The city's newest open space, River's Edge Natural Area, located across from Centennial Park on First Street, had been scheduled to open on Sept. 28. It was a $1.3 million construction project to restore ponds acquired with the former Hewlett-Packard/Agilent Property and make them available for public use.

The site never opened, and Burdine said the city is now working with FEMA to determine how to proceed.

Though most of the wetland plant material was lost and a lot of the fresh trails were damaged, Burdine praised the city's stormwater department, which called for placement of structures out the flood zone. The picnic shelter survived and so did the restrooms.

Flood-damaged parks, natural areas and open spaces in Loveland remain closed, and people who enter closed areas are trespassing and may receive citations. But on Saturdays through November -- or as long as the weather cooperates -- the city staff plans to continue volunteer cleanup events at various locations.

Debris removal from the Loveland Recreation Trail from Taft Avenue east to U.S. 287 is likely a target in the coming weeks, Havener said.

"People do love their parks and the trails, and their assistance is valuable, and we really do appreciate it," he said.

To search and register for volunteer opportunities, visit the city's website, cityofloveland.org.